In late February, I received an email from a woman in the Michigan. She had stumbled across my blog and she wanted to share something with me. She told me she was born and raised Catholic, and was educated by Dominicans, but had left the faith when she was young. She ended up joining the [Read More...]

Once again, in his daily homily, Pope Francis touches on a favorite theme and image: idols. (Are your ears burning, Elizabeth?) From the Vatican: “The one who trusts in himself, in his own richness or ideologies is destined for unhappiness. The one who trusts in the Lord, on the other hand, bears fruit even of [Read More...]

Our parish will be showing a video for the Annual Catholic Appeal this Sunday. Homilies will be brief. Here’s my homily, however, from the 2nd Sunday of Lent in 2008. How is your Lent going? Right about now is when the newness and fervor start to wear off. We’ve left the ashes in the bathroom [Read More...]

The other day, I read an interview with a woman in Lebanon, Sister Micheline Lattouf. Sister Micheline belongs to the Good Shepherd Sisters. Her flock consists of men, women and children who are—literally—running for their lives. They are refugees. Most of them are Muslim. Many are from Syria. By one account, over 2.2 million people [Read More...]

Back in the 1950s a popular game show was called “Who Do You Trust?” It’s best remembered now as the show that first introduced Johnny Carson. These days, if you asked the question “Who Do You Trust?” the answer might be: no one. In 1972, half of Americans surveyed – 50% — said they believed [Read More...]

Photo: Patrik Giardino / New York Times With the eyes of the world focused on the Olympics in Russia, last week the New York Times profiled a record-breaking international athlete. She’s not in the Olympics. But she is, in every sense, a phenomenon. Her name is Olga Kotolko. Olga grew up in a large family [Read More...]

Last year, my wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. The waitress seemed impressed. She asked us, “What’s your secret?” I smiled and told her: “Patience.” Then my wife chimed in: “And prayer.” And now you know what it takes to be married to me. That explains why my [Read More...]

I found myself in Times Square Friday afternoon, and got quite a shock. It seems there’s a big football game this weekend. And a lot of people decided to come here to see it. The neighborhood Friday was absolutely mobbed. Tourists, media, vendors—it was incredible. The city has definitely caught Super Bowl fever. There have [Read More...]

This weekend, I’m in Seneca, South Carolina, preparing to direct a parish mission at St. Paul the Apostle parish. I’m preaching at all the Masses. Here’s my homily for the occasion. DGK. +++ Last week, The New York Times had a story that probably shocked a few people. It was a column by Nick Bilton, [Read More...]

Last week, I came across the remarkable story of a doctor who makes house calls to people who don’t have houses. His name is Dr. Jim Withers, of Pittsburgh. Most nights, you won’t find him in the ER or in the operating room. You’ll find him on the streets, a stethoscope around his neck, hunting [Read More...]

Subscribe by email to Deacon's Bench

Follow the Deacon!

Deacon Greg Kandra is a Roman Catholic deacon serving the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. In February 2011, he was named the Executive Editor of ONE, the acclaimed magazine published by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). [Read More...]